INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION CENTRE

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

NAME : JUNAIDAH BTE MUBARAK ALI

NRIC : 921201-05-5558

GROUP : 11 M 16

STUDENT I.D. : 2010694076

TITLE : CFC’s, FIRE RETARDANTS AND THE OZONE LAYER

LECTURER :MADAM SITI SALWA

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 REFRIGERANTS

Refrigerants are liquids which circulate inside a refrigerator. They change phase from a gas to
a liquid and back, transferring heat from the inside of the refrigerator to the outside in the
process.

A good refrigerant should be a liquid that :

 Change state from gas to liquid and back at a temperature below the
temperature of the refrigerator.
A substance used as a refrigerant should have a boiling point in a particular range that
fits the machine in which it is used. A refrigerant with a lower boiling point tends to
have a better ability to cool. Refrigerants with higher boiling points tend to be more
efficient and may work well in a smaller machine. Most refrigerants have a boiling
point between -- 27.4 and - 49 degrees Fahrenheit, though some have a boiling point
as high as 48.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

 Has a high enthalpy of vaporization

 Has a moderate density in liquid form and a relatively high density in vapour
form
 Is not toxic, flammable, or corrosive
A refrigerant is classified as a Class A refrigerant if there is no toxicity identified in
concentrations less than 400 parts per million. If there is toxicity identified in this
small amount, the substance is a Class B refrigerant. Class 1 refrigerants are
completely nonflammable, Class 2 types are moderately flammable and Class 3
substances are highly flammable. A good refrigerant has the right combination of
safety and functionality.
 Stable
Refrigerants must be stable substances that do not decompose under the pressures and
temperatures of the refrigerator system. A less stable substance might swell, embrittle
or dissolve the plastics used in the motor and seals of the system. The refrigerant
should also not react chemically with the lubricants and other substances found in the
refrigerator. Originally, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were used as refrigerants until it
was found that they were unstable when they came into contact with the ozone
particles in the upper atmosphere.

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 WHAT IS CFC
A chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) is an organic compound that contains carbon, chlorine,
and fluorine, produced as a volatile derivative of methane and ethane. It is a
compound containing both C-CL AND C-F bonds. They are also commonly known
by the DuPont trade name Freon. The most common representative is
dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12 or Freon-12). Many CFCs have been widely used as
refrigerants, propellants (in aerosol applications), and solvents.

Naming system devised by DuPont

 Rightmost digit : number of fluorine atoms per molecule
 Tens digit : one plus the number of hydrogen atoms per molecule
 Hundreds digit : the number of carbon atoms minus one (missed out of for
halogenomethanes which have only one carbon atom )
 Thousands digit : number of double bonds in the molecule
 Any remaining bonds not accounted for are occupied by chlorine atoms
 A suffix of a lower case letter a, b or c indicates unbalanced isomers

The problems with CFCs

Surrounding the Earth, in the upper atmosphere, is a layer of ozone gas ( O3). This
absorbs short wavelength ultraviolet lights very strongly, protecting life at the surface
from its harmful effects. Without this layer, there would be more cases of skin cancer
and aye cataracts.

Because of their unreactivity, CFCs released into the atmosphere do not decay, and
find their way eventually into the upper atmosphere. When they reach the ozone layer,
two reactions happen.

The first of these involves hemolytic breakdown of the CFC molecules under the
influence of ultraviolet light :
CCl2F2 ∙ CClF2 + Cl∙

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 This reaction produces the highly reactive chlorine free radical. The atom may simply
recombine with its original molecule, or it may attack a molecule of ozone :

Cl∙ + O3 ClO∙ + O2

ClO∙ + O3 Cl∙ + 2O 2

Net reaction : 2O 3 3O2

Chlorine atom is not used up in the reaction, so one of the CFC molecule can destroy
literally thousands of ozone molecules.
The usage of CFCs causes decrease in ozone concentrations in the ozone layer which
was detected by Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina in the late 1970’s.
The most massive decreases happen over Antartica, where ozone concentrations
temporarily fall each spring, resulting in an ‘ozone hole’. The size of this hole appears
to be increasing, and a similar hole now appears to have developed over the Artic as
well.

Is HCFC a safe alternative to CFCs ?

Hydrochluorofluorocarbons, or HCFC are a group of synthetic compounds containing

hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine and carbon. They are not found anywhere in nature. HCFCs are
broken down in the lowest part of atmosphere, and pose a much smaller risk to the ozone
layer. However, HCFCs are also very potent greenhouse gases, despite their very low
atmospheric concentrations, measured in parts per million. Example of HCFC is HFC134a,
which is CF3CH2F. It does not contain C-Cl bonds but has the even stronger C-F bonds.

Other alternatives
Butane is an alternative to CFCs, but it is flammable. HCFC and butane are also used as
propellants in aerosol containers.
The only long term solution to solve the problem of depletion of the ozone layer is to phase
out the use of CFCs.
(Montreal Protocol of 1987 and subsequent modifications)

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Fire retardants
Halogenoalkanes can be used as fire retardants in some types of extinguisher. For example,
fire extinguishers to be used around electrical equipment should not contain water-based
chemicals.
Fire retardants can also be used as surface coating .It is possible to coat an object with a fire
retardant. The classic example of this is the green Christmas tree. As a tree dries out it can be
accidentally lit on fire putting the home at risk. A coating of a specialised fire retardant can
prevent the starting of the fire and slow it down if it does start.

Example of gaseous halogenoalkanes that can be used as fire retardants :

 Halon 2402 (Dibromotetrafluoroethane)

1,2-Dibromotetrafluoroethane

 Halon 104 (Tetrachloromethane)

The ozone layer

How Ozone Forms in the Stratosphere

It is made up of three oxygen atoms. The ozone in the upper atmosphere is produced by the
action of UV radiation from the Sun acting on oxygen molecules. This splits oxygen
molecule into oxygen free radicals which combine with other oxygen molecules to form
ozone.

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   O=O +  hυ+  H2O → O• +  O•

O2  + O • → O3

Benefits of ozone layer to humans

The main benefit of the ozone layer is absorption of the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation, thus
protecting the Earth (including humans, animals, and plants) from its pernicious influence.
There is a natural balance between the formation of new ozone and the breakdown of ozone
molecules. However, ozone is considered to be an important atmospheric pollution liquidator,
i.e. its atoms attract harmful chemical substances from the atmosphere (for example,
methane, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, etc.) and react with them, thus providing the creation
of a new compound harmless to the environment.

How does ozone layer absorb harmful radiation without being permanently destroyed?

The ozone layer absorbs a portion of the radiation from the sun, preventing it from reaching
the planet's surface. Most importantly, it absorbs the portion of ultraviolet light
called UVB. UVB has been linked to many harmful effects, including various types of skin
cancer, cataracts, and harm to some crops, certain materials, and some forms of marine life.

At any given time, ozone molecules are constantly formed and destroyed in the stratosphere.
The total amount, however, remains relatively stable. The concentration of the ozone layer
can be thought of as a stream's depth at a particular location. Although water is constantly
flowing in and out, the depth remains constant.

The reaction which bring about ozone depletion need light to take place. During the Antartic
winter, the Sun never rises. The whole area is in contact darkness. At the same time, in the
dark and cold, a whirling vortex of stratospheric winds allow the air to get so cold that polar
stratospheric clouds build up. The cloud particles provide a large surface area for the
reactions which lead to breakdown of ozone. Then when spring comes, so does the sunlight,
providing the final link in the chain. It triggers the homolytic breakdown of the CFCs,
producing free radicals which do all the damage to the ozone layer, catalysing the breakdown
of the molecules.

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